D

The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming moths, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought(旱災(zāi)) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice, the main food for the world’s population, could be returning to levels that caused inflation(通貨膨脹)fears in much of Asia last year.

Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty(系)of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University, Hesays prices-especially for Thai nice-are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. “They expect that the world demand will increase and we expect that the price of rice will increase next year,” Charuk said. “There are many new markets fro the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customers-China, some Arab countries-they will increase the demand.”

Prices on the global market could again near the record of $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton to more than $650.

Vichai sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice-entering the world market for the first time in 21 years-because of a drought.

Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels(生物燃料)from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of grains higher. “this is very serious. That’s why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see,” Vichai said. “It will have to be raised at a higher level, but I don’t know where.”

The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports due to high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. officials from veetnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines’ National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice.

Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region’s poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.

63.   Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 1?

A. Drought reduces production of rice in India.

B. Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008.

C. Rice is a major food for the world’s population.

D. the improving global economy increases the need for rice.

64.   How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?

A.1.                   B.2.                   C.3.            D.4.

65.Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?

A. Because of high prices.                       B. Because of typhoons.

C. Because of civil war.                         D. Because of drought.

66.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Higher food prices will increase problems

B. There are many new markets for the Thai rice

C. The global economy is improving

D. Prices for rice are expected to rise

 B

A new college guide in the United States compares educational requirements in seven subjects. These include math, science, writing and United States history or government. The other subjects are economics, foreign language and literature.

The free online guide is from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The council is a nonprofit group that supports liberal arts education.

Its president, Anne Neal, says these areas of knowledge are needed to succeed in a twenty-first century society and an increasingly connected world. Yet she told VOA’s Faiza Elmasry it was surprising how many students can graduate with, in her words, a “thin education.”

Forty-two of the one hundred colleges and universities surveyed received the lowest marks. This meant they required two or fewer of the seven subjects. Five schools received a top grade for requiring six subjects. These were Brooklyn College in New York City, Texas A&M, the University of Texas-Austin, West Point and the University of Arkansas.

Robert Costrell is a professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. He says many, if not all, of the top American colleges once had a core curriculum —a set of courses required for all students.

But over the years, many have dropped these requirements. Or they have watered them down, Professor Costrell says, into what became known as distribution requirements. This system lets a student choose from a number of different courses to satisfy a requirement.

ROBERT COSTRELL: “And in many cases these courses went too far, I would say, towards the fluffy treatment of serious material, and students could satisfy their requirement by taking such courses.”

Professor Costrell says schools should not only re-examine what they teach. They should also measure what students have learned — for example, through some form of examinations or papers.

A new report this week from the College Board showed that college prices continue to rise. But Anne Neal from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni says higher prices. do not guarantee a better general education. In fact, the group found that the higher the tuition, the more likely that students have to develop their own general education.

The college guide is on the Web at whatwilltheylearn.com. Anne Neal says her group is surveying more colleges. The hope, she says, is to discover what college graduates have really learned, and how ready they are to compete in the global marketplace.

61. Where does the passage probably come from?

A. A scientific fiction.                       B. A research newspaper.  

C. A fashion magazine.                      D. An entertainment newspaper.

62. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni does all the following EXCEPT _________.

A. support liberal arts education

B. concern itself with education in America

C. devote time to helping improve college education

D. make money by helping with college education

63. The words “watered them down” underlined in Paragraph 6 most likely mean “_______.”

A. reduced required courses                  B. improved required courses

C. increased required courses                 D. developed required courses

64. In this passage, the new college guide mainly tells its readers that American colleges  should _____.

A. meet the requirements of the new century        B. reduce the number of required courses

C. have different standards on required courses      D. cut down on their tuitions

E

Britain’s 101-year-old Queen Mother , who died on March 30 , was famous for never giving interviews . However , her few publicized comments showed humor , a strong will and love for life .

In the 1920s , many men wanted to marry lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon . She only agreed to marry the future King George Ⅵ when he got down on bended knee for a third time to ask her . But she never forgave her brother Edward Ⅷ for stepping down from the throne（王位）in 1936 to marry divorced（離婚）woman Wallis Simpson . This meant that her shy husband became king. “Those last few days were like sitting on the edge of a volcano,” she said of the crisis.

The Queen Mother’s most famous role in British life was to try to boost（提高）Londoners’ morale（士氣）during the World War II bombing（轟炸）, especially in the hardest-hit East End of London. When Buckingham Palace（白金漢宮）was hit by a bomb in 1940 , she said , “ I am glad we have been bombed . It makes me feel I can look the East End（people）in the face . ”

Famously , she refused suggestions that she and her children，the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret , should seek refuge（尋求避難）in Canada until the end of the war . “ The children won’t go without me , I won’t leave the king and the king will never go . ” she declared . “ I should die if I had to leave . ”

After better times returned，her love of expensive parties and high life continued，well into her old age . Her bank overdraft（透支）reached 4 million pounds .

She enjoyed fishing until well into her 80s but once choked（噎�。﹐n a fishbone . After doctors removed the bone , she joked , “ After all these years of fishing , the fish are having their revenge（報(bào)復(fù)）. ”

In the end, she outlived the 20th century with energy and enthusiasm. “I love life, that’s my secret,” she told a friend when she was in her 80s . In a television interview last week, her grandson Prince Charles said, “She saw the funny side of life and we laughed until we cried.”

Hundreds of people have signed books of condolence（哀悼）across the country , including former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher .

“She loved her country and in return her country loved her.” said Prime Minister Tony Blair.

72. The Queen Mother refused to seek refuge in Canada with her children because        .

A. she didn’t think it safe to stay in Canada

B. she wasn’t willing to go without her husband

C. she hoped to boost Londoners’ morale

D. she wanted to earn good fame through the war

73. When Queen Mother went into her old age, she______.

A. was tired of peaceful life

B. began to show interest in fishing

C. was very luxury（奢侈）

D. looked down upon many things people had done

74. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. George VI became king of Britain when his wife was in her late thirties.

B. Queen Mother hadn’t expected her husband to become a king.

C. Buckingham Palace was burned to the ground during the World War II . 

D. Queen Mother showed bravery in face of the World War II.

75. From the passage we know that Queen Mother was______.

A. humorous and brave      B. talkative and humorous

C. talkative but shy               D. brave but shy

第二部分：英語(yǔ)知識(shí)運(yùn)用（共2節(jié)，滿分45分）

第一節(jié)：?jiǎn)雾?xiàng)填空（共15小題；每小題1分，滿分15分）

   從A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并將該答案寫在答卷上。

There is no_________from my bedroom window except for some factory chimneys.

   A.view           B.scene          C.sight        D.look              

A lot of tents, drinking water and food ______ to the homeless earthquake survivors in the past several weeks.

       A．a(chǎn)re sent    B．were sent  C．have been sent        D．had been sent

—Why don’t we choose that road to save time?

    —The bridge to it __________.

    A. has repaired                   B. is repaired

    C. is being repaired               D. will be repaired

As your teacher,I could not have you______away with cheating in the exam．

    A．get        B．getting          C．breaking       D．break

       _____ the football game will be held on time largely depends on the weather.

A. If                                   B. That                         C. Whether            D. When

第二節(jié)：完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）

  What is in the drug that makes you sick or dead? For example, cocaine is harmful, but what makes it harmful?

   I can’t tell you all about drugs, but I can ___36___ you think about them in this ____37____ way. Your body is a very complicated machine, ____38____ a lot of chemical machinery, all of which is finally turned ____39____ it all works together. Special chemicals, which we call drugs, can affect it in many different ways.

   Some drugs are ____40____ when your body has a problem, as with disease—causing bacteria. Then someone may give you aspirin to keep your temperature from going too ____41____ or some penicillin (青霉素) ____42____ it stops the growth of some kinds of bacteria. ___43_____, all drugs are really poison, ____44_____ if you take too much, so you must always use them ____45____.

   Why do some people take drugs like cocaine? For a little while they seem to make you feel better, or happier. But ____46____ their effects have ____47____, your body has to pay an extra ____48____ to get back to normal. That makes you want to get ____49____ of the drug.

   Drugs like cocaine have their special effects because they act as ____50____ for your nervous system. They cut off some of your nerve pathways and take away some of your senses and your ____51___. They make you want always more. And just a little too much can even ____52____ nerves to your heart and stop its beating

   Many of us worry about the ____53____ around us and what pollution does to us. How about your internal environment and what goes on ____54____ you? You control that all by yourself in what you put into your ____55_____. Most drugs are pollutants. You would not want pollutants in the air and water around you. Why would you want pollutants in your body?

36.   A.    make       B.    cause       C.    help D.    let

37.   A.    funny      B.    different  C.    simple     D.    true

38.   A.    just  B.    really      C.    especially       D.    sometimes

39.   A.    as if       B     even if    C.    where      D.    so that

40.   A.    powerful B.    helpful    C.    painful    D.    helpless

41.   A.    high B.    tall   C.    much      D.    hot

42.   A.    when       B.    until C.    as    D.    before

43.   A.    besides    B.    thus C.    however  D.    naturally

44.   A.    at most    B.    at least    C.    at times   D.    at first

45.   A.    carefully  B.    easily      C.    carelessly D.    a lot

46.   A.    where      B.    before     C.    after D.    until

47.   A.    worked    B.    worn       C.    appeared  D.    lost

48.   A.    number   B.    quantity   C.    amount    D.    price

49.   A.    Some more     B.    nothing   C.    a little     D.    a few

50.   A.    guards     B.    medicine C.    chemicals       D.    poisons

51.   A.    worries    B.    happiness C.    freedom  D.    pride

52.   A.    lead B.    block      C.    offer       D.    stick

53.   A.    places      B.    nature     C.    people     D.    environment

54.   A.    inside      B.    around    C.    outside    D.    next

55.   A.    heart       B.    head C.    body       D.    mind

Good news came that Nancy decided to donate blood to Dan Hens, and the results of the medical tests came in: She was a__________.

       A．suit       B．fit            C．match    D．mate